


The shortest way home.

by CALLEN37



Category: NCIS: Los Angeles
Genre: AU, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Timeline convergence, supernatural horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-24
Updated: 2013-12-10
Packaged: 2017-12-30 09:01:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1016702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CALLEN37/pseuds/CALLEN37
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A break-in brings Callen face to face with the one person he can't lie to...Himself.  How can his secrets from the one time he was truly terrified from his team and help get himself back to where he needs to be. despite his own fears...This is a WIP.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

James Joyce — 'Think you're escaping and run into yourself. Longest way round is the shortest way home.'

* * *

Chapter 1

Callen scowled as he got into Sam's car; there were pumpkins and a broomstick and witches hat on the back seat. "Really? You're bringing this to work with you?" he asked incredulously.

Sam smirked and looked at his partner. "Come on Callen, Lighten up, it's Halloween. I don't get why you hate this time of year, surely you went trick or treating as a child?" Sam asked.

Callen didn't answer him he just stared out of the window. Out of all the many, and there had been very many traumatic experiences he'd had as a child the weirdest had happened at Halloween.

Arriving at the mission and still not talking to Sam, but shooting a death glare at the Halloween paraphernalia he stormed into the bullpen and sat in his chair and started his after action reports. "Come on G. it's for Michelle, she's taking our daughter trick or treating." He sighed as he followed his partner in.

* * *

Kensi came in with Vampire teeth in and grinned at them, "Morning."

"Coffee." Callen snapped and walked off.

Kensi took the teeth out, "What's wrong with him?" she asked as Deeks walked in.

"What's wrong with who?" Deeks asked.

"Callen, he just snapped at me, is there something going on?"

"He hates Halloween, it's gotten worse as he's gotten older, it seems like he's waiting for something, but he's never said what." Sam told the others.

Hetty walked up to the group, "Mr. Callen disappeared as a teenager for a week one Halloween, when he was found he was scared and shaken but never talked of what happened and where he was," She told them.

Kensi looked shocked and saddened. "This explains why he never works this time of year." She said.

And he never had, he had always taken his annual leave during this time of year and had left Los Angeles for the whole week. This year however, the director had insisted he move his annual leave as he had taken off with the team to Romania and used his vacation time to account for it.

As Callen walked back with his coffee, Eric whistled from the balcony. "Ladies and Gentlemen, your presence is requested in Ops, if you please." He bowed walked away.

* * *

Callen swallowed hard pushing his gut feeling down and walked with the team to OPS.

"We have a problem; Callen's name has come up on a fingerprint database with the LAPD. Apparently you were seen breaking into a store on Venice beach, the CCTV was too grainy to be of use, but your DNA was everywhere." Eric said turning to Callen.

Callen looked blankly, "I didn't break into anywhere?" He protested. Then he sighed and looked at Eric. "Ok so what did I take?" he asked.

Eric looked embarrassed, "Er…Food…a loaf of bread, some milk and a candy bar."

Callen rolled his eyes, "For goodness sake Eric, I have a credit card if I needed them I'd go to the store."

"We know that Mr. Callen, but nonetheless your DNA is at the scene, lieutenant Bates is holding someone who claims to be you, he's met you, but this is perplexing so we are having this person brought to the boat-shed, Go interview him gentlemen, find out why he is using my agents' name." Hetty ordered.

Callen, Sam, Kensi and Deeks all headed to the boatshed.

* * *

When they arrived, an LAPD officer was nursing his hand and climbing back into his car. "You ok man?" Deeks asked.

"Bloody kid is a nightmare." The officer snapped, "He's all yours."

The agents looked at each other. Walking into the boatshed, the two agents guarding the kid were standing outside the door.

"Why isn't one of you in there with him?" Sam asked.

"He tricked us, we ended up outside and he's barricaded the door."

Walking up to the monitor, Callen stopped dead, "No!" he breathed in shock.

"You know this kid?" Sam asked.

Callen took two steps back, "What the hell is this?" he asked.

"Callen?" Kensi asked.

Callen moved past the table and walked to the door, "G, OPEN THE DOOR!" he yelled.

"NO!" A youthful voice shouted from the other side.

The others looked on in shock.

"Did he just call the kid G?" Deeks asked.

"Bloody hell, I am so not that stubborn!" Callen cursed to himself. He took two steps back and kicked the door down.

* * *

The teenager in the other room skittered away over to the other corner.

"Who….who are you? Are you going to hurt me?" The kid asked.

Callen smirked, "Na…never was into self flagellation."

"What?"

Callen got a chair and turned it around and sat in it, "G. Callen….15 years old. Haven't eaten for two weeks until last night, has bruising from the last beating you got from Mike Mackenzie your current and soon to be ex foster father, you ran away and fell asleep in a storm drain off Huntingdon beach hiding from a group of older teens dressed as vampires for Halloween that threatened to kill you and suck your blood."

The kid's eyes grew wider, "Who the hell are you and how do you know all this?"

Callen smiled, "This kid is where it gets freaky and where you suddenly  _hate_ Halloween." He watched as the kid moved into what he recognized as a listening position. "I'm you." He said flatly.

* * *

"WHAT!" Both the younger Callen and his team mates listening in on the monitor all said.

Callen showed G his driving license and NCIS credentials.

"They can be faked?" G snapped.

"They're not though." Callen replied.

"This brings a whole new meaning to talking to yourself." Deeks quipped looking on as Kensi rolled her eyes.

"Shh!" Kensi hissed listening to the pair in the interview room.

Callen sat back, and handed G a sandwich and bottle of water he had grabbed before going in there. "I know." He said softly. "I know what you were running from, I know when you do go back, you won't go back there. I know you will be scared, really scared and I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry." Callen swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'm sorry for what you went through to get here."

G looked up the terror in his eyes clear for all to see, "You know, you saw  _him_?"

"I was you, I sat where you are sitting now, and you will sit where I am in seventeen years time. I don't know if this is a cycle or a one off, but I remember being you and having this conversation."

G stared at the older version of himself, "Can you stop him…stop this?" he breathed.

Callen sighed, "I don't know kid." He responded honestly. "I don't remember much more than this conversation, so maybe this is where things change…I do know we are getting out of here and I'm going to try. I've been waiting for this, don't worry you're only here a week, I don't know why, but I have somewhere set up for you to stay." He said.

"No, I'm not staying with another foster father; get another kid for a punch bag." The younger Callen snapped.

"Nope you're coming with me." Callen said He turned and walked out of the room, the smaller, skinnier and scruffier version of him following at a distance.

* * *

The three other Agents looked on in stunned silence as they looked at the older and younger version of the man.

"G?" Sam asked and stopped as both 'Callen's' looked at him,

"Yeah…" They said in unison.

"This…this right here is freaking creepy!" Sam snapped.

"Welcome to my world." The younger G replied.

Callen picked up his phone. "Hetty, this year, he's here." Callen said.

"Wait! Hetty knew about this?" Kensi asked.

Callen nodded, "Told her the first year I wanted Halloween off to prepare, could never remember what year I came to."

"You remember this?" Deeks asked.

"Some of it." Callen responded looking at his fidgeting younger self. "Up the stairs first door on the right…DO NOT climb out the window." Callen said to him.

G nodded and ran up the stairs; Callen picked up his car keys and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked.

"To catch myself climbing out of the window." Callen smirked and headed out.


	2. Chapter 2

The elder Callen leaned against the wall and watched as a pair of legs emerged out of the window followed by a body which twisted to cling onto the drain pipe that was next to the window.

"You weren't kidding," Sam said standing beside Callen.

"Nope." Callen said straight faced.

G turned around as his feet hit the floor, "shit!" he exclaimed jumping with fright as he came face to face with his older self again. "How did you know?" he asked.

"Told ya kid, I'm you, I remember doing this." Callen said, "In the car, we need to go."

G looked at the two men, "Don't care what you do to me, I ain't going back to that foster home, the guy was a sicko." He said backing away slowly.

Callen shot a look at Sam, this was one thing he didn't want to share, but right now that wasn't his concern. "G…I know, I remember." He said softly, "You won't go back there."

Callen rubbed a small spot on his lower back as he remembered. "Come on we need to get you some first aid for the…."

G flinched, "Ok ok you win, I'm coming, just, if you're me, you know."

Callen nodded, "it stays between us." He said.

G looked up, "But it can prove you are who you say." He said thoughtfully.

Callen nodded, "Come here." He walked around the car out of Sam's eye line and reached down, pulling his pants down slightly on one side to show G his upper hip and the pentagram brand on there.

G took a step back and showed him the fresh brand on the same spot.

"Let me get you back to the office, I have a pain-killing salve we can put on it." Callen said.

G nodded and walked towards the car, "So can this thing fly?" he asked.

Sam sniggered. "No?"

"Oh," G's face fell, "Future kinda sucks."

"You're not is foster care anymore, and you have a great job with a gun and you own your own house." Callen said with a grin.

"Really!" G's face lit up…. "Do…?" he started to ask a question but decided against it shaking his head as he lay back and fell asleep in the car on the drive.

* * *

They pulled up outside the mission and G looked at his older self incredulously "You work here? This building is condemned!" he said looking at the red sticker on the door.

Callen smiled. "Come on, I have someone for you to meet," he said.

Sam opened the door and placed a hand on G's back; he jumped and moved out of the way. But went in the direction the older man wanted him to go.

"I'm going already," G snapped.

Callen shrugged, "sorry." He said to his partner.

Hetty stood waiting for them, Eric and Nell watching from the balcony having heard who was coming in but not really believing it.

Callen walked in looking at Hetty and Nell and Eric, with a determined look on his face. G took a few steps in an stopped he turned in a circle looking at the totally non-condemned interior of the building.

"WOW!" G said.

* * *

"Mr. Callen." Hetty said.

"Yes?" Both Callen's answered at once.

Hetty looked concerned and turned to the elder Mr. Callen, "So you still don't remember how this happened?" she asked having heard the story from him a few years ago, granted back then she had thought it was just the bottle of 20 year scotch that they were sharing talking.

Now however she could see he had been telling the truth.

G looked at the older Callen who gave a small, almost imperceptible shake of his head.

"No." The elder Callen said in a straight face lie to his boss.

"My office; Mr. Callen." Hetty replied.

"Busted…." G smirked.

Callen looked at him, "Sit there. It's my desk and don't move."

G nodded and watched as Callen walked into the scary ladies office. Sam sat at the desk across from his. "So little G, you alright?"

G looked over at him and nodded, "Fine." He replied, he felt like he could trust this man but didn't know why.

"Soooooooo." G started, leaning back in the chair and putting his feet on 'his' desk, "What am I like now?" he asked.

Sam looked over at Callen still talking to Hetty, "You're a good agent, and team leader. You work hard and are fiercely loyal to your friends."

G nodded again "And family?" he asked nonchalantly although he was waiting desperately to hear what the other man had to say.

"You're not married." Sam said.

"No…I mean, did I…Did I get adopted? Do I know who I am? What's my name?" G asked dropping his feet to the floor and looking intently at Sam.

Sam smiled, "Is this not a question you should be asking yourself?"

"Don't you think I have….I mean…Oh? Yeah!" G said the light bulb of understanding lit up in his mind.

* * *

Callen walked into Hetty's office and she motioned for him to sit on the chair next to her desk.

"You just lied to me Mr. Callen." Hetty said.

Callen nodded, "Neither of me want this said in the middle of the building." He took the drink she offered and sat down.

"I know how he, me…I mean I got here." He said, "I remembered as soon as I saw myself in the boatshed."

Hetty sat back and waited.

"When I was fifteen, Halloween '84 I was placed with a single guy, Mike Mackenzie, his wife had left him a few days before and he hadn't told the authorities, she'd left because he had gotten heavily into paganism, and not the nice kind, where you respect nature, he had twisted the whole meaning of it.

He was a self-styled black warlock. He needed a…child, for a spell to move through time, his goal was to go back in time and get his wife back. But something went wrong; I ended up in the future…here to be exact."

"How did you get back?" Hetty asked. "I don't know much about physics, but this can't be good having the two of you here."

Callen looked at Hetty a flash of raw emotion crossing his face, "I…I can't send him back to that, you don't know what he did, what he will do."

Callen stood up and moved to the back of Hetty's office and pulled the edge of his pants down to show Hetty the scar he kept hidden. "You see this…." He asked. She nodded and he continued, "I got this before I disappeared Mackenzie did this to me," he pulled his pants back and turned lifting his shirt, exposing a whole series of thin white scars on his back, "And these I'll get when he gets back, and this one…" He showed a jagged scar on his abdomen, "I get this as I tried to get away."

Hetty looked at her agent with tears in her eyes. She knew he didn't like to go shirtless when training but had no idea of the scars he bore.

"That's what I am sending myself back to." Callen said he walked back to the desk and drank the drink she had left on her desk for him in one gulp. He looked over at his younger self interrogating his partner with a small smile.

"I can't do it." He sighed and sank into the armchair she kept in the corner of her office.

"When did you end up going back?" Hetty asked.

"I was gone a week," Callen said.

"Then you have a week to sort this out, to teach yourself what you need to learn to survive."

"How, if I make a mistake, if I do something wrong now, if I don't go back….then I won't be here today?" Callen groaned holding his head. "This is so messed up."

"This Halloween Mr. Callen, Fate has given you a wonderful opportunity; instead of worrying about it I suggest you embrace it." Hetty smiled, "This brings a whole new meaning to self-help."

Callen rolled his eyes, "Really Hetty!"

Hetty smiled, "Go, take yourself home, you've both had a long day." She said.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Pulling up outside his house Callen walked around and undid the back door to allow a sullen G to exit, they had stopped for burgers on the way home and as he knew he would G tried to escape from the back of the car, which forced Callen to pullover, flick on the child locks and effectively trap his younger self in the back of the car.

Callen knew his own temper and he knew he would be simmering all the way home.

"We're home." Callen said.

"Fine." G answered.

G looked at the house and a smile appeared across his face, "I know this house."

Callen watched as G walked in the door and stopped dead. "Is she dead…Mrs. Rostov?"

"Yes a while ago, Alina owned the house and she died a year ago. I brought the house from her estate." He told himself.

G walked into his room, what had been his room and looked at his name engraved in the closet door.

"You just moved in?" G asked looking at the lack of anything in the house.

Callen shook his head, "I've been here a while. I got you a sleeping bag and airbed in there." He pointed to Alina's old room.

"It's not still pink in there is it?" G asked

"No, go on."

Callen followed as G walked to the room.

"I…" G started as he walked in and threw the bag of clothes and toiletries Hetty had given him on the bedroll.

"What?" Callen asked.

"Did we ever get adopted, did anyone ever want us?" G asked desperate to know.

Callen looked at him and felt a familiar tightening in his chest, "Go to sleep, we have a lot to do tomorrow."

G lowered his head, he knew that tone, the 'don't mess with me or I'll rearrange your face tone.'

"yessir." G mumbled and sank onto the bed.

Feeling like a heel he closed the door, walked to the fridge and grabbed a beer.

He wanted to tell him everything, to show him the picture of his mother, tell him her name, and show him the small reel to reel recording of himself. His father and his sister in the backyard of their home. But he knew he couldn't. If he learned those things at 15 he could change the whole course of his life. However if he went running of after the Comescu's now, he'd definitely die. So telling himself that would effectively be suicide…not his style.

He knew that right now he was in the other room berating himself for asking the question and he knew that in the morning he'd make it up to himself, wow this kind of thinking was giving him a headache!

* * *

Early the next morning Callen awoke and waited until G finished in the shower. He sat on the chair in his living room as G walked out bag in hand.

"You won't need that." Callen said.

"You're not sending me away?" G asked confused.

"No, I'm not, now in a week you are going to have to go back through the portal you came through to get here. I intend to teach you enough to defend yourself."

"I don't wanna go back to Mackenzie." G said walking into the kitchen and looking for a glass for a drink of water.

"Top left, same as when you lived here." Callen said as G stood and looked.

"That is so creepy, it's like you're in my head."

Callen laughed, "It's my head too, so I kinda was at one point."

G took a mouthful of water and sat on the floor cross legged looking at his older self.

"Agent Callen?" G said.

"Callen's fine."

"Why did this happen, I mean I know Mackenzie was crazy, but magic isn't real?"

"Not like Harry Potter." Callen said.

"Who?" G asked.

Callen smiled, "You'll find out…but I don't know, I've had years to think about it, I think maybe it was something…not magic, maybe some kind of science…everything was just in the right place, and I'm sorry, but to get you back, we have to go back there."

Sam walked up the path to pick up the two Callen's and was stopped hand on the door as he heard a yell from inside the house.

"NO….NO WAY IN HELL! YOU CAN'T DO THIS, YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED THERE!"

* * *

"I'm sorry; G. it's the only way."

G backed up from Callen his eyes sparking with tears, "No…..please." he begged.

"I'll teach you to protect yourself he wouldn't be able to do it…" Callen placated him as G backed up into a corner and slid down the wall into a ball.

"He already branded me once….The next one….it was a poker, he…he threatened my eyes…." G said in a scared voice.

Sam entered quietly.

"Look at me." Callen said.

G didn't move but was shaking in the spot.

"Look. At. Me." Callen pushed.

G lifted his head; his terrified tears were falling freely.

"I have both my eyes and he didn't …." Callen stopped and lifted his shirt unaware Sam was in the room. "I only have the first brand, there are no more."

Both G and Sam looked at the scars that adorned his body.

"Do they hurt?" G asked softly looking at them…"Did…Did he do them?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, when I was you I didn't get taught to defend myself; I didn't know what I was going back to…I wasn't prepared."

"What…what did he do?"

"It doesn't matter." Callen snapped, "He won't get to do it to you." He promised.

"We won't let him." Sam said.

"Really?!" G looked at Sam with so much trust Sam wanted to hug the kid.

Callen smiled and nodded to Sam to follow him. "Go get yourself sorted kid." Callen said.

* * *

Sam followed Callen as G went back to his room.

"That's what you didn't want him to know, did that guy Mackenzie do that to you?"

Callen nodded, "You remember once you asked me when I trusted you Sam and I said a long time ago?"

Sam nodded, picking up G's glass and putting it in the sink.

"That there…two minutes ago, that was when I trusted you…You were familiar when we met again and I knew I could trust you because I already had."

"Wow…G…" Sam said stunned.

Callen gave a small smile and he walked to the door. "G…Come on!" he called as they went to leave.

"Yeah I'm coming, we going to work?"

Callen sighed, "I'm going to work you are coming along."

"Do I get a gun?" G asked.

"NO!" Sam and Callen replied as Callen shut the door.

Sam grinned, "You are a handful." He smiled.

"Yeah, but I grew up great." Callen smirked.

* * *

On arrival at the mission, Callen and G headed to the gym, where Deeks and Kensi were sparring.

Callen watched as Sam came and joined them, G looking on appreciatively at Kensi in a tank top and shorts.

"Nice…" He smirked.

"G!" Callen said shocked.

"What! She's cute." G grinned.

"G, she's a federal agent, you can show her some respect." Callen berated himself.

G sighed and climbed onto a bench and slouched down watching them, Sam grinned at little G's behavior and Callen shot him a filthy look.

"OK, G…let's see what you got!" Deeks said

Callen smirked, remembering how scrappy he was at that age. "Go on G. Remember Mr. Johnson, fight him like you did him."

"Really!" G asked astonished.

Callen grinned, "Really."

G shrugged and walked onto the mat.

"Oh By the way G, Deeks is a cop."

G's face turned into a huge smirk. "Really…." He circled Deeks on the mat, "Bring it cop."

Deeks raised an eyebrow at Callen who merely sat on the bench that his younger self had just vacated and watched the fun.

Deeks reached out to grab him and G ducked under his hand, Deeks tried again grabbing G by the collar, G dropped to the ground and in an instant twisted and escaped him, swinging his own legs out and knocking Deeks off his feet. G back flipped out of the way and moved off the mat.

"Come on old guy." He taunted.

"Wow." Deeks breathed looking at Callen who said nothing.

G climbed up the wall in half the time it took Callen to do it. "Deeks you gonna get me…" G said.

"Not up there, come on down here."

G looked at Callen who gave a nod and he jumped from the ledge onto the crash mat tucking into a roll as he landed.

"You're an acrobat?" Sam asked.

G shook his head, "Na…just fast."

Deeks walked up to him and went to grab him again and G ducked out of the way.

Callen loved watching his younger self. "G, high school."

G nodded and twisted backwards getting Deeks on the floor, with his arm pinned behind his back.

Kensi nodded appreciatively, "Nice kid."

G got off Deeks wiping his hands on his shirt. "Thanks."

* * *

Deeks walked over to the closet in the corner, "Ok, so now the harder stuff" he said turning and holding two electro-daggers in his hand.

G looked over at Callen, "Toys?" he asked.

"Watch…" Callen said and nodded to Kensi who stepped in with Deeks and the circled with the knives, Kensi touching Deeks with one.

"Ouch!" Deeks yelps as she got him.

Again she hit him with the Knife and Deeks jumped back, "Ow!" he exclaimed.

G looked at the others watching as Deeks was getting hurt, this wasn't right, "STOP!" G said running at Kensi and deliberately putting himself between her and the knife, getting shocked in curled up into a ball. "Don't hurt him…" he sobbed trying to save Deeks.

They stopped looking at the sobbing child and the annoyed man. "Enough." Callen ordered.

"Callen…I'm sorry, I didn't know." Kensi said shocked.

Callen walked up to G and touched him on the shoulder, "It's ok, Kensi wasn't hurting him." He said gently.

G looked up at Callen his face tracked with tears, "I…thought….I saw ….Jason….." Callen gathered himself up and hugged the younger version of himself. "It's ok, it'll be ok…I got us, remember rule number 1?" Callen asked.

G sniffed and wiped the back of his hand over his eyes. "Only trust yourself, no one else cares." G said.

Callen nodded, "And who am I?"

"Me…?" G sniffed again.

"Then trust me, Kensi wasn't hurting Deeks, no one here will hurt you, and we will teach you all you need to know to bring down Mackenzie."

Callen looked at the others and they left the room leaving Callen consoling a sobbing G on the floor.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Kensi, Deeks and Sam walked into the bullpen giving Callen and little G some privacy, all of them concerned for the behavior of the younger version of their friend.

"I didn't mean to upset him," Kensi said looking stricken.

"I'm not sure you did," Sam told her.

"What do you mean, he's in there now sobbing, how is that _not_  my fault?"Kensi asked.

"Did you guys hear what Callen said to him, Callen's rule number one?" Deeks asked.

"Always listen to your partner?" Sam said.

"No…he said their rule number 1 was 'Only trust yourself, no one else cares.' How awful could things have been if he thought that was his rule number one," Deeks said.

"Well he was in foster care, maybe he learned it there."

"So was I…I never had a rule like that."

Kensi and Sam looked at him, "You were in the system?" Sam asked, "You never said."

Deeks shrugged, "It was never a big deal, and I was in there from eleven to eighteen. Had two foster families both supportive and nice, the system got me a scholarship so I could go and do pre-law at university?"

"You were one of the lucky ones Mr. Deeks, unlike Mr. Callen, you still had relatives out there whom although they were unable to care for you they did keep tabs on your welfare and pulled strings so you got a stable placement." Hetty said looking through the open door where Callen was still comforting his younger self. "Mr. Callen didn't have that."

"What do we do Hetty?" Deeks asked.

"Listen to him, but don't push, If Callen wants your help with his younger self he'll find a way to show you, even if he can't bring himself to ask for it."

* * *

Callen walked out of the Gym with G standing just behind him.

"You guys ok?" Sam asked.

"We're good." Callen replied. G, not talking moved to sit at Callen's desk.

G slumped in the seat avoiding everyone's concerned looks. Callen walked past them and headed to the kitchen he needed a coffee and he knew his younger self would need a drink as well.

"You want a doughnut G?" Deeks asked as the youngster stared intently at the floor.

G wouldn't talk, "Come on G, save me, if you eat one then I won't, you can save my waistline."

G looked up and glared at them all.

"Please?" Sam asked.

G turned and stood up, "What the hell are you three doing?" he snapped.

All three of them grinned as they saw future glimpses of their team leader in the stance of the younger man before them. "We're just trying to cheer you up." Deeks grinned.

"Why?" G said, "just coz you think I'm weak, gonna cheer up the baby," He snapped glaring at them all but stepping away at the same time.

"No we don't think that at all, we do know you are going through a frightening time right now."

G laughed scornfully, "This…Frightening, this is a holiday, what I'm going back to, what you're all making me go back to that's frightening, you have no idea." He snarled. "And I'm supposed to trust you, because a huge hulk sized version of me said so…No way I'm outta here." G grabbed his bag and ran full pelt towards the door, screeching to a halt as he ran into Callen, sitting on a chair with his back to the main door, coffee in one hand and a soda by his feet.

"Thirsty," Callen said.

G glared at him, "This is just too messed up, I'm not doing it!" he turned and ran the other way ducking under Sam's legs as he tried to catch him.

Callen walked to his desk and placed his coffee and the soda can on top.

"You're not going to stop him?" Kensi asked.

"Nope." Callen went back and got his chair and placed it back where he'd taken it from.

"Why not?" Deeks asked.

"I ain't got nowhere to go, just have to work through it; none of us need to be there now." Callen said picking up a file and starting on some paperwork.

Kensi and Sam walked over to his desk, Deeks on their heels.

"He's a kid G, He's you, and you shouldn't be facing this alone."

Callen shrugged, "He just needs space, God guy's I know what I need." He sighed. "It's how I handled it last time,"

"He shouldn't have to do this alone…" Kensi reiterated.

Callen's patience was wearing thin today, he didn't know what was bugging him, he knew his team meant well but he also knew what he needed, and coddling was not it. "Just leave it!" he snapped turning back to his paperwork and ignoring everyone who was staring at him.

Kensi and Sam understanding sat back at their desks as Deeks walked off.

* * *

Deeks ignored what Callen said, walking around the building he noticed the door to the file burn room was ajar, he stood outside the door and heard a small sniff from inside.

"G?" He carefully pushed the door open and stuck his head in the darkened room.

G saw the door open and moved himself under a shelf making himself as small as possible. He scrunched his eyes closed really hoping that whoever was at the door would just go away.

"G, its Deeks." He said opening the door.

"'m fine…go away." G said.

Deeks walked in and crouched down in front of the boy who looked nothing like his fifteen years. "No you're not."

G wiped his eyes with his sleeve and looked up and the blond head of the older detective. "How'd you know?"

"Because you said it yourself, you're scared." Deeks said

"I…So. What if I am, what's it gotta do with you."G said putting a tough mask on and schooling his features.

"I'm your friend and you're hurting." Deeks said.

"I'll be fine,"

"So you keep saying, and I believe you I really do, all I'm saying is you don't have to go there alone."

In the bullpen Callen smiled…then his face clouded, "Oh no he didn't." he said.

He got up, "DEEKS!" He yelled and barreled for the file burn room with Sam and Kensi on his tail.

Running in the room he grabbed Deeks by the collar and dragged him out into the hall, "What the  _hell_ do you think you were doing?" he snarled.

"I thought I was helping a friend." Deeks stood up and dusted himself down.

"G what the hell?" Sam snapped at Callen.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to?" Little G said to Sam, not sure why the larger man was angry with him.

Sam looked at the G, "I…I meant the other you." He said and turned back to Callen.

"With me," he snapped, walking out of the door.

* * *

Callen followed out to the courtyard and as Sam turned to look at him he had to bite his lip to stop the grin that nearly formed on his face at the petulant look his partner was giving him.

"You think after all you have been through that little you needs to see big you getting violent with Deeks?" Sam asked.

Callen looked confused and Sam couldn't help it he did smile, "I ain't say it again, it was darn confusing the first time." He admitted.

"Deeks shouldn't have done that."

"What did he do…?" Sam asked.

Callen turned away and mumbled something.

"What?"

Callen paced up and down, "He made me….." he stopped and shot a look so bereft at Sam that he wanted to grab his partner and just console him.

"He made you what G?"

"He made me believe someone could actually care for me…He can't do that, I can't go back thinking that…it's too dangerous," Callen said quietly.

"People do care for you G." Sam said.

"I know that, 43 year old me knows these things, but 15 year old me doesn't and I have to send 15 year old me back to a world that doesn't care about me unless it's filling a quota on a child services form, a world where if I care about anyone or anything it's ripped away from me, sometimes it's days; sometimes its hours. I can't afford for 15 year old me to get soft…it…it makes it hurt too much." Callen said the pain in his voice evident.

Within moments Callen's whole demeanor changed, his eyes took on a cold look and he looked at Sam like he was a waste of space. "What do you want with me Hanna, I'm busy." He snapped his voice as cold and devoid of emotion as his eyes.

"What's changed?" Sam asked.

Callen stopped, "What?"

"You were all for us helping, training little you to go back face the big bad…whatever, you still haven't told us that yet, and we were going to make things better. Now you're stopping us from helping…and that new rule of yours, never heard that one before?" Sam said.

Callen looked at him strangely, "Of course you have, and I say it all the time. It's the reason why I've never come over to your house."

Sam was confused; Callen had stayed with him numerous times.

"I can and I will train myself, I only have myself to watch my back, don't pretend you care now." Callen's face looked decidedly hostile.

"G?" Sam said confused.

"My name is Callen, or have you forgotten that." Callen snapped. He turned on his heels and walked back into the building the younger version of him falling silently into line behind his older self.

"What happened to the bullpen?" Callen asked walking back in there, "Bloody place is going crazy." He snapped.

He walked over to his desk and turned it around so he had his back right up to the partition and he was facing the team, "So who did it, which one of you thought it was alright to mess with my desk?" he snarled.

The others looked at him like he was crazy.

"No one touched your desk Mr. Callen." Hetty said walking into the bullpen.

"I've told you before you old bat, I'll work here and I'll be your lackey, hell I have nothing better to do at the moment, but I ain't one of your 'special kids' so just leave me to do my job and you concentrate on the kiddy team there." He waved his arm at the others and went back to work. As he turned back to the others Hetty gave a gasp of surprise as a new long scar appeared down the side of Callen's face and neck.

"What?" Callen snapped.

"You've got a scar?" she breathed as the others looked on in shock.

"Jeeze Hetty, I've had that since I was a kid, you know that." Callen sighed, was the whole world going crazy, "It's why no one would adopt me and you couldn't use me as an undercover agent like you wanted."

"Mr. Callen…." Hetty said carefully, "If you're not part of their team, yet you work here, what pray tell, is your job?"

The others stood behind her as Callen looked at them like they were mad.

"Hetty, you know what my job is, I'm the assassin. I kill those that need to disappear, the only reason the kiddy squad here know is because you felt it necessary for them to know who was sharing the bullpen with them!"

 


	5. Chapter 5

Callen glared at the team who were all looking at him like he had grown a new head. "Kid." He called to G, "Over here." He ordered.

G ran over and sat cross legged behind the desk, Callen handed him a soda, "Weapons training in an hour, rest now." He said.

G leaned back against the lattice work of the bullpen. "Not there,  _ **never**_ leave your back exposed, lean against the post." He said gesturing to the large stone pillar to the side of his desk.

G nodded, "Got it." He said surly, he had trusted Sam, and Sam had yelled at his older self, he now knew Callen was right, he couldn't afford to trust anyone but himself. His bigger self was stronger and tougher than he'd ever imagined he needed to be like that, trying to care, trusting Sam had been a mistake, then nearly listening to Deeks, thank goodness that Callen had pulled the other man away from him.

"Remember rule number 2," Callen said as G closed his eyes.

"Trusting brings pain." G rolled out with a yawn.

Callen gave a small smile at his younger self, "Yeah, I'll watch our backs kid."

G nodded and fell asleep.

* * *

Callen looked at his younger self and quickly scanned the room searching for threats, reaching into his pocket he unlocked his desk drawer and took out a SIG P232, smaller than his own weapon but the right size for G, gently he measured it in the child's palm, nodded and dropped it back in the box and locked the box up on his desk.

"That'll do." He said to himself as he finished locking the box up, then he lifted a pile of paperwork and dropped it on his desk ignoring the concerned looks in the bullpen he got on with his paperwork.

Sam walked back in, "G, there's something going on with you."

Callen stood up and walked over to Sam.

"Not here Hanna." He snarled and motioned for Sam to follow him.

He did and the others followed.

Out of site of the bullpen and within seconds, Callen had Sam up against a wall and pinned with a knife to his throat.

"What is your problem Hanna?" He snarled.

"This for a start G," Sam gasped surprised at how agile he was.

"We are  _ **not and never have been**_ friends Hanna." Callen growled.

"The…That's not true…" Sam gasped, surprised that he was still pinned by his partner. He raised his hands up and Callen jumped backwards.

"Don't touch me. Don't  _ **ever**_ touch me." Callen snapped. "You know that."

"No I don't," Sam said, "Something has happened to you.  _ **'This'**_ is not you."

Deeks and Kensi standing close nodded, "He's telling the truth Callen." Kensi said.

Callen looked at them, "Prove it." He snapped.

* * *

Sam walked over to his desk and took a photo out of his drawer and showed it to Callen. It was of him, last Christmas standing at the tree with a drink in his hand and his arm around Sam's shoulders. "Friends see?" he said.

Callen looked at the card with distain, "Photoshop and it's not even very good, and it doesn't even look like me, no scar see?"

"Good grief Callen," Kensi said, "Come with me." She went to touch him and he flinched out of the way.

She looked over at Hetty pleading for help.

"Mr. Callen, please come and see what Ms. Blye needs to show you." Hetty said.

Callen nodded begrudgingly "Fine, but no one touches him." Callen pointed to his younger self in the corner.

"I will watch our young Mr. Callen." Hetty said and sat in a seat near him but not touching him.

Callen followed the team to ops and stood near the door as they entered.

"Eric, can you bring up last years Christmas party?" Kensi asked.

"Really, has Hetty….?"

"It is authorized Mr. Beale." Hetty's voice came over the speaker system making them all, with the exception of Callen jump.

Callen watched as Eric cued up the Christmas party, Sam's daughter running around the bullpen holding her arms up calling for uncle G and Callen, smiling, lifting her up and piggybacking her over to her mother.

Kensi and Nell both kissing him on the cheek at the same time under the mistletoe and Callen smiling walking them both back to the Christmas tree arm in arm.

Callen shook his head and stepped away from them.

* * *

"No…you're lying; I don't know what this is, but 'that'…that never happened. I wouldn't…" he said shaking his head.

"Why wouldn't you?" Nell asked

"Let people in, let them get that close to me? Look I don't know what you guys are trying to pull, but it isn't going to work." He snapped.

"Callen?" Nell said walking over to him and putting her hand on his arm.

"Don't!" Callen jumped and moved back.

"G, we're your friends…we care about you, and we are worried." Kensi said.

"I don't have friends, I don't need friends. I don't need anyone, YOU taught me that!" Callen said jabbing a finger at Sam and storming out of Ops.

Sam's face was shocked for a second and then he chased Callen out of Ops, "Callen!" he shouted.

Callen spun on the spot, "What?"

"What did I do? What do you mean I taught you not to need anyone?" he asked.

Callen looked down at his younger self still asleep.

"I trusted you, when I was him, I trusted you and you got mean, you made me feel like I was safe and I could trust you and then you attacked me."

"I attacked you?" Sam was confused.

"Older me, he got annoyed over something while that Deeks was talking to me and you attacked him, I knew then you were just like all the others that raised me, you say one thing and do another…you taught me trusting brings pain. Thank you, it was a good lesson to learn since then I've never been hurt again, and I won't let you guys try, I am good at what I do, Damn good. I am expendable, which makes me perfect for my job, if I had been weak and trusted people I would never have gotten as good as I am at my job. For that Hanna I thank you, but it doesn't mean you need to pretend to be my friend, and this joke, you should have saved for April fool's it would have worked better." Callen turned on his heel leaving a stunned group behind him as he walked downstairs and went back to his paperwork.

* * *

"Crap!" Sam snapped. He turned back to the other, "How can I fix this, this cannot be his life."

Nell watched with a frown as Callen looked over at his sleeping self and looked through more paperwork.

"Deeks, you need to finish your conversation." She said quietly

"What?"

"With G, the one you were having when Callen first stopped you, what were you going to tell him?"

Deeks looked at his feet, "I was going to tell him about…" He sighed, "I was going to tell him about my father, and my time in foster care and how I found a great family that helped me out, I was going to tell him to keep faith that he would find a family that cared, Callen told me once how after a traumatic event once he was fostered by scary but nice woman, who helped him find his feet and got him into school and gave him confidence in himself. Callen was never adopted, but he was fostered once, by Hetty," He told the others, sad that he had betrayed something that Callen had told him after he had been shot, granted Callen had been the one to find out about his father and Hetty becoming his next of kin and yes Callen had thought he was asleep when he had told Deeks that story, but Deeks had remembered and kept the confidence, but he had felt that little G needed to know that.

And apparently he had needed to know that.

"I never fostered Mr. Callen." Hetty said.

Deeks nodded, "Things are slowly changing around here, the longer Callen stays like this the more everyone's memories change."

* * *

Nell stood up and walked down the stairs to where G was sleeping; she crouched down beside him and gently touched his shoulder.

"G…" She jumped as he leapt and moved away, "Hey G. My name is Nell, can I talk to you?" she asked.

"Nell, what are you doing?" Callen growled.

"I'm going to tell G a story."

G looked at Nell, she was cute and she wanted to talk to him! He blushed and sat up, "Er…ok?"

"He doesn't need stories, he isn't a baby."

"This he needs to hear, it's your story, when you were nearly sixteen you were fostered."

"So what's new?" Callen snarled, "Everyday occurrence back then." He sniped.

Nell rolled her eyes and continued.

"This was different, you stayed with her almost a month, it happened just after this happens and you get back to your own time, this woman was small like me and scary, you were afraid of her at first," Nell had heard this story from Callen too, many a late night they had talked after everyone had gone home and she knew she could do it justice. "You wouldn't speak to her when you found her; you stared at her for five days, not saying a word. I know now it's because you were confused, as you had already met her here."

"Here? You?" G asked; as Callen glared at him.

"Not me Hetty." Nell said, she stood up and put her hand out as Callen started to argue, "This would have happened had you and Sam not argued, Deeks needed to tell you this, G …" she said turning back at him, "You need to know, it is alright to trust people and there are people who care about you. You don't get adopted, but you will find out about your family and you will come to realize that we are your family and we love you."

G looked up at Nell and saw that she was telling the truth.

* * *

"You're lying…you are lying to us!" Callen shouted and moved back. "G, come with me…we can't listen to this." He said trying to protect his younger self.

"Callen!" Sam called trying to make him stop.

"Please, wait!" Kensi begged as the pair of them headed for the door.

Callen turned and grabbed G by the collar. "Come on, you need to go back…now." He said; G shot the others a scared look as Callen dragged him out the door.

"Help Me!" G called as the door slammed shut.


	6. Chapter 6

Callen dragged G by the collar and threw him into the car, he wasn't sure what was going on, but his thoughts were in turmoil he wasn't going to let them mess with his head, he didn't need the pain that would come with letting them in. however a small flame was being fanned within him…and he knew the source.

"Stop it," He growled at his younger self, "She was lying, and you know it and I know it,"

G looked scared, his older self, he was so much colder than he ever thought he could be. The scar on his face scared him, how had he got that in the future, God it looked like it must have really hurt. His older self had been nice earlier on and hadn't had a scar and then this; this thing had appeared on his face. How could he be a good guy when he looked so much more like a bad guy?

G grabbed the car door handle. "NO!" he opened the door and scrambled out of the other side running straight into Sam, and the others who had followed him out.

Fear gripped Callen as he saw his younger self run towards the others.

"NO G! You don't know what you're doing!" he yelled moving around the car to stand between them.

* * *

G ground to a halt. He looked fearfully between his older self and the group of adults staring worriedly in his direction.

"G, please, you just need to trust us." Kensi said pleading with him.

They had figured out that for Callen, in his life, this was a major turning point, the choice between the Callen they knew and loved and the cold calculating Callen that stood before them, and they wanted their Callen back.

"NO!" Callen yelled, "Remember rule 2. Don't do it."

G mouthed trusting brings pain, and looked at his older self and the adults again.

"I….I can't…" He turned to his older self and the others panicked Deeks and Kensi not even thinking held hands for support while Sam put a comforting hand on Nell's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I can't grow up like you, I can't not trust someone and lose the chance of having anyone to care for me, or care about me…I need this." G took a step toward the group.

"NO! YOU CAN'T!" Callen made a run for the boy but Sam stood in front of him.

"Callen, you won't hurt G, He is my friend and I know right now you can kill me but know this, I will die for him; in a heartbeat."

G looked at him, the awe on his face obvious, "You…you would?" he asked.

Sam nodded and turned to G, "Yeah kid I would, you're my best friend; my family. We are all your family and we want you back, will you come with us, will you trust us?"

Callen pulled his gun on them, "G, Move away from them and come back here."

G had a flash of the Callen that had first picked him up, he had been creepy sure, like he could read his thoughts, but now he was cold and he didn't know if the others could see but he was scared, lonely and afraid that the others would see it.

He looked at Callen, he didn't want to grow into that and he knew it was his decision and that he could save his future self, maybe that was why he was here. Using the bravery he had built up over the many years in foster care he pulled away from Sam and took a step towards Callen and the gun.

"No." he said, "This isn't you, it isn't me, there is another way. You just have to trust me. We can be better, we can let people in, yeah sure we will get hurt, but these people here. They care about us Callen. I want to care, I want to be loved."

The gun in Callen's hand waivered. "But you don't know…it….it hurts…" Callen collapsed to the ground his arms wrapped around his torso as twenty more years or hurt and pain and altered memories flashed through him.

G grinned as the large scar on Callen's face disappeared.

* * *

Callen looked up from the floor in the courtyard and saw G standing with the others all around him. "Sam? What happened?"

He said G holding the gun, "What are you doing with that, you could get hurt G?" Callen carefully took the gun and placed it back in his holster.

He stood up and dusted himself off, "So are you all just going to stand there and stare at me or are one of you going to tell me why I was on my ass in the courtyard?" he asked still bewildered.

"Callen?" Nell said walking up to him, "Who was your last foster parent?"

Callen looked uncomfortable, "Someone special to me why?"

Hetty walked out from behind them and hugged him, "Welcome back son." She said quietly.

"OK now I'm scared, did you hit me with a car?" He said to Deeks.

"Who ME!" Deeks squeaked,

"You weren't you for a while, you kinda turned into the you, you could have been if I had made a huge mistake." G said, "I'm sorry."

Callen grinned and wrapped G in a hug, "its ok kid, we all make mistakes, it's how we forgive and move on that matters. I forgive with doughnuts and soda." Callen grinned steering the kid inside.

"Callen?" Sam said wanting to put a hand on his shoulder but stopping. "Are we ok?"

Callen turned to him, "Sure Bro' why would we not be?"

Sam gathered Callen into a hug, "I missed you." He said.

Callen slapped him on the back, "Ok?" he stepped back with an uncomfortable cough. "Sam why were we out here, I thought we were going to do some hand to hand today, to get mini me ready for going back?"

"You tried to kidnap yourself; I'll get Eric to show you if you like." Sam said, "Deeks Kensi, take G for something to eat, but not too many doughnuts, there are sandwiches in the fridge, Michelle made them."

Deeks grinned moving past the other too, "Come on G, Michelle's lunches are legendary."

* * *

G followed them smiling as Callen still confused followed Sam up to ops.

Eric jumped as they walked in. "Callen." He said backing off.

Confused at the terror coming off the man Callen looked at Sam, "Sam?"

"Eric I need you to…"

"But I already showed him the Christmas party, it's not my fault he doesn't believe you." Eric moved further away,

"Eric?" Callen looked hurt. "You ok?"

"Yes Sir." Eric put his monitor between Callen and himself.

Sam sighed, "Eric just show him the footage from the bullpen from this morning and up in OPS earlier."

Callen watched amazed as the scar appeared on his face and how he started to act. "Sam!" he breathed when he saw himself shove Sam against a wall and hold a knife to his throat.

"I'm ok G." Sam said noting the worry in his face.

"But I…." Callen stopped as he watched himself running down from Ops and grabbing his younger self. "No?!" he breathed in disbelief. He turned to Sam, "And all of this because I stopped Deeks from talking to me?"

"Seems that something as small as that can have a bigger impact further down the line; oh and by the way, you called Hetty an old woman."

"NO!" Callen paled and leant against the main table behind him. "I'm a dead man." He breathed as Sam and Eric stifled their laughter behind him.

 


	7. Chapter 7

G sat at the table in the small kitchen area holding his doughnut in one hand, his soda in another and guarding his sandwich on a plate in between his elbows, Deeks and Kensi were talking to him but he did not take his eyes off the sandwich at all.

"Callen not give you breakfast this morning?" Kensi asked.

"What?" G asked for a second taking his eyes off the sandwich and then quickly looking at it again.

"It's not going anywhere." Deeks laughed.

"Rule 6," G said taking another sip of his soda not lifting his eyes up.

"Rule 6?" Deeks asked.

"If ya wanna keep it, wear it or hold it." G said.

Kensi and Deeks looked at each other worried, was this G making a decision again that would change Callen?

"How many Rules do you have?" Kensi asked.

"Dunno….about 15…maybe more." G said his mouthful of doughnut.

"Well do we look like the kind of people who would take food from you, you can trust us." Kensi said.

G rolled his eyes, "yeah sure. Rule 7…I don't think so."

Deeks looked at him, "7?"

"Just because they look nice doesn't mean they are." G kept eating, "Besides what is there to stop you changing your mind and taking this away from me!"

Deeks looked at Kensi and she nodded and got up.

"Be right back." She said casually and walked away.

Callen leant over the balcony Sam leaning with him as he looked out over the whole office.

"I can't believe that happened Sam," Callen said shocked, "How could something so small as a conversation and my stopping it change my whole life?" he asked.

"Because you had set beliefs at that point, seeing someone that older you trusted arguing with well you… was unsettling to you….GOD G! I hate having these conversations you give me a headache."

Callen grinned, "When do I not." He joked.

Sam nodded agreeing with him. "So, you stayed with Hetty then."

Callen nodded, "I don't know how she found me, but she got me just before I transferred out of the system at eighteen and for a month when I was…." Callen stopped as something occurred to him.

He pushed back and walked down the stairs. Kensi stopped him at the bottom. "Callen, you had rules as a kid right?"

Callen nodded, "Yeah?"

"How many?" she asked.

"Now?" he asked back.

"No, at 15?"

Callen stood for a second, "About 15 to 20 why?"

Kensi shook her head, "No reason. It's just we were talking out there and he…you …wouldn't take your eyes off the sandwich to look at us."

Callen smiled remembering the conversation with Kensi and Deeks… "Its weird…" he said with a smirk, "I'm remembering a conversation I had years ago with you two and yet you had the conversation minutes ago."

"I will go see Hetty in a moment Sam; I just need to go see me first." Callen said and headed with Sam and Kensi on his tail to the small kitchen area.

* * *

Callen grabbed a chair and a sandwich and sat next to himself.

"Rule 6 doesn't apply here." Callen said.

G looked at him, "You sure?" he asked looking skeptically at the others.

Callen nodded. "Rule 12."

G relaxed and put the doughnut down on the plate with the sandwich, "ya sure now?" he asked.

Callen nodded again, "We trust them." He said simply, he got up and left his half-eaten sandwich on a plate. "I'll be back for that." He said and left a wide-eyed younger version of him surprised by the trust he was showing in these strangers. Kensi Picked up a napkin, tucked it over the plate, and moved it to the middle of the table. The symbol of Callen's trust sitting in the middle of the three of them.

Callen walked past Sam who had watched the exchange, "What was that."

"Proof," Callen replied.

"Of what?" Sam asked confused.

"Proof that I trust Kensi and Deeks and that G can too." Callen said.

"SO what's rule 12?"

Callen smiled, "Occasionally, very occasionally it's ok to trust."

Sam nodded and went back to his desk.

* * *

Callen knocked on the post outside Hetty's office.

"We need to talk." Callen said.

"Indeed Mr. Callen." Hetty replied.

"About what I said when I wasn't me." Callen started, "I would never refer to you as old bat…" he said uncharacteristically nervous.

She smiled, "Yes you would, you have done several times if I remember, and each time you were misbehaving."

She gestured to a chair and he sank into it, "Is your younger self learning to trust again?"

"Slowly, However I have a feeling after I get back you'll have something to do with helping on that score." Callen smiled. "How did you find out about me anyway? I mean when I was a child you didn't know where I was, we now know that Reinhart wrote the notebook keeping track of ma and Amy…Hannah…I mean…so how did you find out about me?"

"You found me." Hetty said simply.

Callen looked at her, "You turned up in an emergency room, my name and number the only thing in your pocket, and I had no idea who you were until I saw you."

"Why when you saw me?" Callen asked.

Hetty smiled, "You have your mothers eyes, also you knew my name, told me about going to a place in the future where I lived in a house inside a building…How there was a big you who was awesome and that you knew I'd keep you safe." She wiped a tear, "I'd never had that level of trust in a child before…and then you told me your name and I realized you were indeed Clara's son and I had a second chance." She said.

Callen walked over to her and even though there were people around, he wrapped his arms around her, "Thanks Ma." He said.

Hetty nodded and batted him away jovially. "Go on, you, you have to see to your younger self you only have one more day left and you still have to get yourself home."

Callen sighed, "I wish he could stay here with us now…" he said wistfully.

"Ah but Mr. Callen, you still have a lot you need to learn, you cannot do that here." Hetty said wisely, as Callen left, "And I would hate to be deprived of the chance to be your mother," she said to herself as Callen walked over to the bullpen.

 


	8. Chapter 8

As everyone started to pack up for the day, they were surprised as Callen and G headed towards the gym rather than the door.

Deeks followed along, "Callen, You not heading home?"

"Can't Deeks, G's going back tomorrow," Callen said noting the sad look on his younger self's face; He turned and moved so he could look himself in the eye. "G, it's going to be ok, we need to get you back or we won't end up here."

G moved away a bit, trying hard to stifle the urge to shake.

He sat down on the gym mat and pulled his knees up under his chin, "I…I don't wanna go." He admitted. "I could just disappear here…I mean no one would honestly care if I was gone." He argued.

"I would care." Callen said.

"Me too." Deeks said.

"Me three." Sam said coming up behind them, with Kensi nodding her assent as well.

"I also would be upset if you were not a part of my life." Hetty said

G looked at them all. They were all telling the truth, this he could tell. "Ok…So I have to go back and face Mackenzie, But I…I don't want him to…" he looked pointedly at Callen's torso and he knew what he was talking about, "When…when do I have to go."

Callen sat next to him. "3am. you will be found not long after that….I…I don't remember the rest." He admitted.

"I'm scared." G admitted in a small voice.

Callen smiled at him, "Yeah but when are we not scared, but look you know we're going to be ok."

G nodded, "Suppose…" he said.

"So the big question is, do you want this life, Mr. Callen?" Hetty asked.

"I do…you guys are his…my family, I want that…"G said standing up and pulling the oversized sweatshirt, he had borrowed from Callen down. He turned his young steely eyed gaze on the people who would one day be his family, "So, Lets do this!" he said grabbing the pads he'd left there the other day and putting them on.

Bobbing, weaving, blocking and parrying the team worked through the night to make sure that the younger Callen was as ready as he could ever be by 1am Callen and G were leaning together on the mat sharing the bottle of water.

"Do you have everything you came with here?" Callen asked as they watched Sam and Kensi spar with each other.

"Just came with my clothes don't own anything else." G said.

Callen smiled. "Got some things for you." He got up and walked to the bullpen.

He came back with his green canvas bag and his bedroll. "You'll need these." He said handing them over to G who looked at them in awe.

"I can keep these?" He asked, "Like for my own, I don't have to give it back?"

Callen laughed, "They already belong to you, so no you don't have to give them back."

G grabbed them and gave a huge smile; Kensi stopped sparring and nudged Sam, "Look." She whispered.

G hugged Callen and something, although Callen did not know what but something inside him felt fixed.

Sam walked up to Callen, "G are you sure you want to give it to him, it was yours?" he asked.

Callen smiled, "And it will be again, that's the beauty of it." he grinned and walked over to join G.

"We need to be going." Callen said quietly to G, he knew how much they hated goodbyes and both planned to sneak out.

The others looked away and Callen and G snuck out.

Kensi stopped and grabbed her phone, "So we tracing and following?" she asked.

"Eric's already on it, he's going to send all the co-ordinates to our phones." Deeks said walking back into the room. "Sam, Keys." Deeks tossed him the keys and Sam, Deeks, Kensi and Hetty followed to the Challenger.

* * *

Pulling up outside a rundown house, Callen stood outside as G held on tight to his 'new' belongings.

"You ready for this?" Callen asked. Even now, the house itself scared him he knew how much G was using all this reserves to hold himself together.

"Are you s…sure this will work?" G asked the quiver in his voice all too evident.

Callen nodded, it had to work he had to make it back, stop Mackenzie and get out of there, hopefully this time it would not hurt as much as it did the first time.

G looked at him for the last time, "I'm gonna miss you man," he said.

Callen laughed, "See you 15 years, just keep looking in the mirror, I'm there."

Callen watched as G walked into the house….

G opened the door slowly, a week ago, this had still been a rundown house but nowhere near as derelict as it was now, it was unsettling; he grabbed his bag tight and walked carefully up the creaking stairs to the attic.

There was dried blood on the walls and a spider in the corner seemed to be mocking him, daring him to walk into the room, he took a careful step in and stopped as another footstep echoed his own.

"Wh…Who's there?" he whimpered, trying to sound a lot braver than he felt.

"I am your destiny….I am your worst nightmare….and I've been waiting for you."

G gulped…"M…Mackenzie…?"

The deep-throated laugh shook the room, "He is nothing, I am Marbas, and I have been waiting for your little one. I govern thirty-six legions of demons, I am the Demon of hidden or secret things, and you Callen are truly a hidden and secret thing."

G shuddered and moved back, the floor underneath him breaking as he did so, he fell back and the demon reached out his hand for him.

"NO!" G screamed as he fell, fighting the demon's grip all the way through the three floors of the building.

"Join me I can make you rich, I can tell you all the secrets you need to know." The demon begged as G fell.

"No…Never…" G fought as he fell.

Within seconds, he hit the ground and shut his eyes at the blinding light that surrounded him.

At the house, the team and Hetty pulled up as Callen stood there his face white as he saw the shadow in the attic, "It's him." His voice shook.

"Who Mr. Callen?" Hetty asked.

"Marbas." Callen breathed.

As the sound of G, screaming came from the house; a blinding light illuminated the building from within.

Outside Callen fainted.

* * *

He was back in the attic of the house, 15 years in the past.

G felt a hand on his arm, "Move it boy, you are going to help me get what I want from my master." Mackenzie's voice growled.

G swiped his leg in a move he had learned and knocked Mikes footing out from under him.

"You got fast brat but I'm faster," Mike snarled.

G pulled the bag Callen had given him and a knife fell out.

G flicked it open and swiped it towards Mike, "Let me go." G threatened as he moved back again towards the window, "I'm not going to be hurt by you ever again." He said his voice steady as a rock.

"Ok kid…." Mike put his hands up but smiled as a shadow hand reached to grab him.

G took a step back, out of the open window of the attic and fell three floors to the ground.

The next thing he knew he was in a hospital bed.

"G. Callen, found by police after falling three stories from his foster house, he has a broken arm and leg, a fractured rib, multiple older bruises lead us to believe he has been abused by his foster parent, a Mike Mackenzie he has been arrested."

Callen stayed still his eyes closed listening to the man and woman talk, one had to be a social worker and he wasn't in the mood to be moved just yet.

"So you say he had this on him when he was found?" The woman asked.

"Yes, it was the only piece of identification apart from his name on the bag and bed roll."

"How did he get my name though?" the woman asked confused.

Callen groaned as a wave of pain he couldn't ignore moved through his body.

"Mr. Callen. Welcome back." The woman said.

Callen opened his eyes and looked through a crack in his eyes, which flew wide as he saw the woman. "He…." He tried saying her name but his voice failed him.

It was her, she was younger but it was her.

* * *

Hetty turned to the social worker who was coming up the hall juggling files and trying not to drop the two in her hand.

"I'm here to see…G. Callen…" she said to the nurse on duty.

"In there." The nurse said.

Callen tried to move away as the social worker moved in.

"What did you do this time Callen?" she asked.

"I….." He did not know, he could not remember, bits and pieces maybe but not much more and none of it made sense.

"Well I suppose we need to get you placed again." The social worker said looking through her bag, "You're 15…after this, with these injuries you're going to be difficult to place, you're so much trouble." She sighed.

Callen leaned back and closed his eyes, a stray tear running down his face as the faces of smiling people all saying they cared filled his memory.

"I will take him." The smaller woman who had watched the exchange with growing fury spoke.

"You…I'm not in the habit of handing children off to women who just ask."

"No but you are in the habit of handing him off to people who will hurt him." Hetty snapped.

"And you think he will just want to go with you? Who do you think you are?" The social worker asked.

"Henrietta Lange and I already have custody of him." she said handing the harassed woman the court papers.

Callen looked over at her in shock, "How?" he croaked.

"I had a message Mr. Callen." Hetty said walking over to him, pulling out a note with a picture and showing him, "I think we will keep this to ourselves for now, don't you?" she smiled and they looked at the picture of an older Hetty and Callen, Deeks, Kensi and Sam all standing around G smiling.

"Maybe one day Mr. Callen you will be able to tell me the story of that picture." She smiled and pulled him close, "Until then when you're ready Mr. Callen, we'll go home." She said to him.

He grinned and grabbed his bag "Let's go home."

Callen woke up, Kensi and Deeks were standing over him as Sam talked on the phone as Hetty stood looking worriedly over him.

He blinked and looked up, "What happened?" he asked.

"You….I think the other you….went home." Kensi said.

Callen smiled and looked at Hetty, "He did, yeah he did."

 


End file.
